Unsung Heroes

It's funny how one story can spin off into another. As I was writing "Same Train, a Different Time," the Chron's roundup of Austin's revived country scene (May 10, Vol. 15, No. 36), I received a call from Cornell Hurd. "Oh hell," I thought. "I've interviewed all these people and completely overlooked Cornell." Then I realized I hadn't mentioned Kimmie Rhodes or Roy Heinrich, either. Of course, I'm not the only one to make this mistake. Those three are all top-notch talents, and have all recently released albums that range in quality from good to damn good, but haven't necessarily created the buzz around town that Don Walser, the Derailers, Wayne Hancock, and others have. Why? How can performers of this caliber go relatively ignored here? Well, as we've said, Austin is currently enjoying an embarassment of riches when it comes to country music, and some acts that might be stars elsewhere fall through the cracks here. To paraphrase the Carl Smith song, you can overlook an orchid while searching for a rose. We try to make amends this week. What about Don McCalister you say? Funny you should ask. As we were getting ready to put this project together, music editor Raoul Hernandez popped the new McCalister CD in the player. It was great. As we looked at each other, I realized, "Oh hell. There's another one." -- Lee Nichols